Jammu and Kashmir bans pen drives in government offices to strengthen cybersecurity

In order to strengthen cyber security, on August 25, 2025, the Jammu and the Kashmir government decided to prohibit the use of pen drivers in official devices in all administrative departments in the civilian secretary, and that commissioners decided to ban their offices in the districts.

He said that unsecured online services such as ILOVEPDF are also prohibited to process, sharing or storing public or hidden materials such as a government order, WhatsApp.

Commissar Secretary, General Management Department (GAD) M. Raju given by the Emir, Union Region’s cyber security stance, precise government information to protect and data violations, malware infections and unauthorized access risks were taken to minimize the risks of unauthorized access, he said.

“In exceptional cases where operational needs justify the use of the use of the relevant administrative title to the National Information Center, the controlled white list may be allowed for the pen driver up to 2-3 per department.

“After the approval, the pen driver should be physically presented to the relevant NIC cell for restructuring, authorization and property registration before use,” he said.

As a safe alternative, departments are strongly encouraged to adopt the Govdrive, a very tenant platform, which offers central access and synchronization between devices and synchronization.

Order also said that all precise technical information, including flesh architectural diagrams, system configurations, security vulnerabilities, IP addressing programs and strategic technology plans, should be confidential and should be handled by the Ministry of the Ministry through safe channels in accordance with the best practices of information security.

The order, “Not to follow these instructions will be seriously seen and can invite the disciplinary penalty in accordance with the relevant rules regulating official behavior, IT usage and administrative responsibility,” he said.

He also said that the instructions were given with the approval of the competent authority and that he would immediately enter into force.

“It is recommended to all departments to give priority to the implementation of these instructions for the benefit of safe and safe e-management,” he said.